Why Do Copyright Holders Put An All Rights Reserved Clause?

[k_nitin_r 8]

When we come across any intellectual works that are copyrighted, we come across the phrase All Rights Reserved right next to the statement of the copyright. If a work is copyrighted, does it not automatically mean that the rights to the use of the work are limited as provided by the author or the publisher? And if a work is created, does it not automatically mean that it is entitled to copyright protection?I would guess that some legal systems do not enforce copyrights unless they are explicitly stated or maybe they did not in the past, though all the legal systems that I am familiar with do enforce a copyright because of the understanding that pretty much every bit of work out there belongs to somebody so they either should be compensated for the use of their work, or they should explicitly state that they are willing to give away their work for free either under the specific terms of a license or by donating their work to public domain.In the past, copyright was not something that the common layman would have known about but today pretty much everybody has heard about piracy and copyright infringement so one cannot claim or feign a lack of awareness when accused of having illegally reproduced or distributed intellectual property.

[sheepdog 10]

I suspect it has something to do with Red Tape and your basic BS. Whoever is in charge of writing regulations for that sort of thing may have decideded that the average human isn't smart enough to know when they see the letter C with a circle around it that it means the material is copywritten. Sort of like making the company that makes Bars Leak print the words, "Do Not Lick Lid" on the inner seal of the cap on their product. Or all the fast food restuarants being forced to put ingrediant labels and calorie totals on their menues. Just some fat lazy beauracrate making up stuff to justify their big government job and paycheck.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

My guess is that it mostly deals with ensuring the visitors (or readers, wherever the text is found) understand the copyright. While it still holds up in court regardless, it's a way for you to help safeguard yourself (kind of like in places where tresspassing is against the law, people still put up "No Tresspassing" signs. It doesn't change anything, but it ensures that those who otherwise don't know can easily learn).

[sheepdog 10]

That sounds like a pretty good guess if you ask me. And from what I understand, if you don't have no trespassing signs posted on your property you can't really charge people for trespass. So nothing like a friendly reminder to keep honest people honest. (not much you can do about criminals, they will do whatever they want to anyway, no matter how many laws you pass to make something illegal.

[k_nitin_r 8]

I'm glad that everybody agrees that all property can be treated as copyrighted property because simply the fact that it exists means that somebody created it and that they have ownership of it or at least have passed on the ownership of it to somebody else, unless it has been released to public domain.There is one case that I think was particularly unfair when it comes to displaying warnings. In the case of Stella Liebeck versus McDonald's, Stella accused McDonald's of service coffee that was defective because it was too hot. What else did she expect when she ordered coffee? Ice-cold ice cream with chocolate flakes? I would have agreed that it was McDonald's fault if the coffee cup melted, the lid wasn't fitted correctly, or if the staff would have caused the spill while handing the cup of coffee to Stella, but that was not the case. Stella put the cup of hot coffee between her knees and, while removing the lid, and in the process spilled the coffee onto herself. What was she thinking when she was merely holding the cup of coffee with her knees while sitting in a car? She was by no means physically challenged to have to use her knees to hold a cup, and why didn't she think about using the cup holder like everybody else. McDonald's was wrongfully sued and whoever ruled in favor of Stella were most definitely biased. Oh, and did I mention that there was a warning on the coffee cup to indicate that the coffee is hot? But the court ruled that the warning was too small and was insufficient. What do they expect? Get a baby-sitter to sit with customers in their cars to ensure that they do not do anything crazy enough to burn themselves? Sure, if a cup of coffee costs $150, they could go the extra mile, but that particular cup of coffee that Stella bought was for exactly 50 cents. For giggles, maybe McDonalds should put in print on the cup of coffee in reasonably large text - "Do not place coffee cup between knees" to avoid legal liabilities.Regarding trespassing signs, I think it would be reasonable to assume that somebody wanting to sell you a magazine subscription would walk through the gate and knock on the door, if there wasn't a beware of dog or no trespassing sign. Even with that assumption, having somebody enter the premises outside of regular working hours may have entered for providing an invitation to a party, a wedding, or something of the sort. Entering into an apartment with an unlocked door is perhaps crossing the limit and perhaps does count as trespassing even without any notice or warning.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

That sounds like a pretty good guess if you ask me. And from what I understand, if you don't have no trespassing signs posted on your property you can't really charge people for trespass. So nothing like a friendly reminder to keep honest people honest. (not much you can do about criminals, they will do whatever they want to anyway, no matter how many laws you pass to make something illegal.

I'm almost positive this is dependent upon the state, and possibly even the city as well. I know different states have different rules on what you can actually do with trespassers, and I think a lot of it is grandfathered over from long ago.

It's worth keeping in mind that even when something is classified as being "legal" to do (for example in some states you can shoot anyone who invades your home), how it will hold up in court is anyone's guess. There have been some ridiculous things that made it through court, and obvious things that didn't.

[sheepdog 10]

I'm glad you brought up Stella Liebeck. I'd not be surprised if the next person that stupid woman tries to sue is her own mother for giving birth to her because her IQ was smaller than her shoe size and now she is forced to go threw life being so bloody stupid. I can't believe the court awarded her that settlement. Now everyone who has to patronize McDonalds has to tolerate luke warm coffee. Which to most hard core coffee drinkers is the pits. While I understand that the consumer may need some protection, when people are that damn dumb they just deserve what they get. Warning not big enough? Just how big would would a light socket have to be to have the words "Do Not Stick Your Finger In This Light Socket" on it? Do you really want inscribed on your new wedding ring "Caution, wearing this cheap ring may cause your finger to turn green."